Machiavellian definition | Open Education Sociology Dictionary

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Machiavellian

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(adjective) The use of amoral, cunning, deceitful, scheming, or unscrupulous methods, particularly in one’s career or politics.
(adjective) Of or relating to Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) or Machiavellianism.

An individual spreads rumors about another individual to get them fired from a job.
A politician lies about an opponent in order to win an election.

Syllabification: ma·chi·a·vel·li·an

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From Il Principe (Italian for “The Prince”), written by Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) in the 1500s. Machiavelli encouraged the notion that the “end justifies the means” for rulers.
- Read for free on Project Gutenberg: The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
- Listen to for free at Librivox: The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli
Variant spelling: Machiavelian
A (noun) Machiavellian or (noun) Machiavellist advocates for (noun) Machiavellianism.

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2015. “machiavellian.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved December 2, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/machiavellian/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

machiavellian. (2015). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/machiavellian/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2015. “machiavellian.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed December 2, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/machiavellian/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“machiavellian.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2015. Web. 2 Dec. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/machiavellian/>.